October is domestic violence awareness month. Pushpa Achanta shares stories of victims of domestic violence to point out why the dilution of IPC Section 498A by the Supreme Court is a blow to the fight against domestic violence.

An ancient matrilineal tribe of northeast India has a thriving culture and an increasing population, while a similarly ancient Dravidian matrilineal tribe is in danger of vanishing. Linda Chhakchhuak reports on what the Dravidian tribe can learn from the northeastern tribe to revive its culture and population.

While debates over legalisation of sex work and rehabilitation of women in the trade continue without much tangible impact, sex workers themselves carry on the fight to win legitimacy, safety and social security. Pushpa Achanta brings us some voices from the twilight zone.

In a first, the Lok Sabha Election this year has at least four candidates from the transgender community, traditionally one of the most under-represented groups in the electorate as well as political leadership. Prabhu Mallikarjunan looks at their participation this year, as well as the challenges that lie ahead.

Laws addressing sexual violence may have changed in India, but with judicial response mired in scepticism and age-old attitudes towards rape
survivors, there is little hope for justice. In conversation with Pamela Philipose, noted lawyer
Vrinda Grover
exposes the contradictions in the legal system.

If 34 per cent of current parliamentarians have family ties and all those under 30 years are hereditary MPs, the concern over women alone leveraging family connections in politics seems misplaced. As the Women's Reservation Bill awaits yet another round of consideration,
Ammu Joseph
wonders if women politicians can and do make a difference.

Threats of rape, kidnap and stripping have become commonplace against women on the Internet. Is it because of the limits of law itself or the fact that very few women seek legal recourse in such matters?
Vaishnavi Vittal
explores.

As Parliament prepares to pass new anti-rape legislation on the basis of the government-promulgated ordinance,
Padmalatha Ravi
discusses recommendations of the seminal report by the Committee that underlines the need for law that is better conceived.

The proposed Marriage Laws (Amendment) Bill is a policy move in the right direction - to
acknowledge the critical role women play in building and maintaining a household's assets, write
Hema Swaminathan, Suchitra Yegnanarayan and Rahul Lahoti.

After decades of delay and debate, are political parties finally about to enact higher representation for women in the legislatures?
Kaushiki Sanyal
presents a legislative brief on the proposed Constitutional Amendment.

A Supreme Court ruling putting live-in relationships on par with marriages raises difficult questions. Will it pit one woman's right to
legal protection against another's? Does it overlook bigamy?
Shoma Chatterji
reports.

The Domestic Worker's Bill, if passed, will be an important step toward securing the rights of a large chunk of
the unorganised workforce. But as with all laws, the real test of this legislation will be in its implementation, writes
Anuja Agrawal.

Dilution or outright waiver of punishment if a rapist offers to marry his victim is an extra-legal step, one that is not written into law anywhere.
But it continues to be entertained because the internalisation of stigmatisation is wide-spread, and even the victims believe it.
Shoma Chatterji
reports.